


how to say i love you.

by tickingtimebomb



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Help, I Don't Even Know, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Short One Shot, This Is STUPID, i was half asleep when i wrote this, oh and changkyun is only a side character js
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-16
Updated: 2016-08-16
Packaged: 2018-08-09 04:08:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7786204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tickingtimebomb/pseuds/tickingtimebomb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>jooheon has a big issue with expressing his feelings when he loves someone, but he finds that love is not always defined by those three cliché words he loathes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	how to say i love you.

    Not once in his life has Jooheon said that he loved anyone other than a relative. And that was out of obligation. Awkward, uncomfortable obligation.

    His longest relationship lasted a year and a half, ending solely because his boyfriend wasn’t satisfied with a grunt of recognition or a “ditto” in response to “I love you.” Saying those three simple yet binding words just wasn't his thing. He had most definitely loved many a time, but he could never seem to get himself to say it. (He thought “I also care for you in an intimate way” was pretty damn good.) Seeing that this was becoming an issue, Jooheon tried everything to force that wretched phrase from inside. He would practice with his friend Changkyun after a few drinks, loosening himself up. “I love, you. I _love_ you. _I_ love you. I love _you_ ,” he would repeat, the phrase tumbling off his tongue rather than rolling smoothly. Changkyun would sigh and deem his friend hopeless, and for a long while, Jooheon believed it. That is, until Minhyuk came along.

    Minhyuk wasn't like anyone Jooheon had ever known. Jooheon would crack a hard hitting joke and Minhyuk would bite right back without hesitation. He would push all of Jooheon’s buttons and wreak havoc wherever he went. Minhyuk would wake Jooheon up early in the morning just to complain that there was nothing to eat, then proceed to ransack his cupboards to make strange food combinations into breakfast like a mad scientist. Nothing was boring with Minhyuk. He never seemed to rest, never seemed to stop, never seemed to settle down. He was always on and no one could switch him off. And Jooheon _loved_ it.

    But he couldn't say it.

    Soon, however, Jooheon learned that he didn't need to. The phrase was sometimes replaced with “stay safe” or “don’t get into too much trouble.” Frequently it would be “I hate you” or “your breath smells” or “get off me, you blonde devil.” Rarely, Jooheon would go soft and mumble something to the effect of “you’re really something” and “stay with me tonight.” Minhyuk would smile, not missing a beat. “I love you too,” he would offer in return, usually planting a wet kiss on Jooheon’s cheek. The latter would wipe the kisses off at first, but he quickly grew used to them. It soon became apparent to Jooheon that Minhyuk had changed something in him, even Changkyun giving his friend a teasing wink of confirmation when he was around the couple.

    Only when they were pressed together late at night, Jooheon mistaking Minhyuk’s silence for sleep, did he whisper a sincere three words he could have sworn he’d never utter.

 

* * *

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is really short im sORRY but i'd like to thank everyone who actually read my first story on ao3! there will be more to come (if you somehow enjoyed this) and all my stories won't be this short i promise! i'd also like to thank @pantyprince for encouraging me to post this and giving me feedback ; ; ☆


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